Only Me When I'm With You
by yourgreeneyes
Summary: Roughly based on Only Me When I'm With You by Taylor Swift. And other songs... Edward & Bella go into highschool, Bella makes new friend, gets thrown into in crowd, has to choose between Edward and new friend. More thorough summary inside. Stupid box...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: The Almighty Stephenie Meyer created all the characters. Not me sadly. I'm just writing this for entertainment purposes.**

**OK, so I know I've got a two other stories I should be finishing instead of starting a new one. But forgive me. When I've got an idea jumbling around in my head, I've gotta put down on paper (or in this case Word...) Currently, those other two are on hiatus. Sorry.**

**So yeah. The full summary: Bella and Edward have been dating since seventh grade. When they enter highschool, they think it'll be even better. Boy are they wrong. Bella makes a new friend and suddenly finds herself in the "in crowd". Now she must choose between Edward, her boyfriend, or her new friends. Roughly based on the song Only Me When I'm With You by Taylor Swift. And some other songs... R&R, Twilighters!**

I skipped along on the sidewalk, holding my books to my chest. It had been my first day back to school today. But it wasn't seventh grade I was happy about. It was Edward Cullen. My best friend. He had left for Europe at the beginning of the summer, sadly, and had returned for the beginning of the school year. We hadn't seen each other in three months, and he said I'd changed.

_I raced into the courtyard, looking for the glimpse of bronze hair he had promised me. I had found it. I rushed to him, throwing my arms around his neck. He had grown, that was for sure. I had to reach up on my tippy-toes to reach his shoulders. Of course, I was short for my age._

"_My gosh, Bella, you've changed!" he exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. I hadn't. I knew that. But him on the other hand…_

_He was much taller, and more…man-ish, I guess. His pale skin hadn't changed a bit, and that gave me some comfort. I smiled up at him, and I was sure my eyes sparkled. He grinned back. "Well, how _have _I changed? 'Cause even Renee thinks I look the same. Except for my hair. It's longer," I rambled. We began walking toward the door, me clutching my books, him holding his own._

"_Well, for one, you've definitely grown. Though I'm still taller than you," he smirked as he said this. I scowled. "Your hair is…longer, but…Never mind that part. Well, maybe I'm partial to your changes because I've been away for so long. Oh! That reminds me." He slipped his backpack off, digging into it. I had a bad feeling about this. "I brought you some things…" I knew I wasn't going to like this._

_My eyes narrowed. "Edward Anthony Cullen! I told you not to get me anything! You said you wouldn't!" I whined. He chuckled, taking out ten, little, silver wrapped gifts._

"_Well, I lied. You didn't seriously expect me to go to Europe and not bring my best friend anything back, now did you?" he asked incredulously. He raised an eyebrow. "And not to mention, Mom and Alice scolded me every time I walked into a shop and didn't bring anything back for you." He rolled his eyes. I laughed. We stood there for a second, drinking in each other's presence. "Well, are you going to open them?"_

"_All right," I sighed, sitting down in the dirt. "Hand 'em over."_

He'd gotten me something from each place he visited. My favorite was definitely the one from Italy, since everything there was beautiful. I dreamed of going there one day.

From Spain, I received a figurine of a bull fighter. I hit him for that one. He knew I hated animal cruelty. But, in his defense, I did collect little figurines, so…

From France, he gave me powder blue beret. It was so pretty, I couldn't scold him for it. When I asked how much it was, he cleared his throat and shoved another box at me, commanding me to, "Open the damn thing! We don't have all day here." That got me thinking…

From Romania, I got a pretty, carved wooden figurine. I had nothing to say about this. It was a carving. It was natural and beautiful. He knew me so well.

From Italy, and by far my favorite, Edward had bought me a little white and gold pumpkin carriage figurine. I fell in love instantly. Cinderella was my favorite fairytale, and I still read and watched it occasionally. With this gift, I didn't care how much he spent on me. I gave him the biggest hug I'd ever given anyone, even bigger than the one I gave Renee and Charlie when they'd given me Raskell, my cat, and Apple, my dog.

From Greece, he gave me a soft leather necklace, with a blue pendant at the end. Apparently, it was a good luck charm. I didn't complain about this. It obviously wasn't too much money. My kind of gift.

From Ireland, Edward gave me a stuffed animal. A teddy, to be exact. It was so cute, but so…childish. I was in seventh grade! I had pouted, and he had laughed, but I quickly fell in love with it. I named him Dublin, for the Irish capital.

From England, I received a Big Ben figurine. It was blue. And very pretty. I quickly put it back into its box and opened the next one.

From Germany, the size of the present got me going. It was larger than most of the others. I didn't like the look of it. I was about to protest without opening the present, but he covered my mouth and pointed to the box. I sullenly, and silently, opened the gift. I smiled into his hand and he removed it. A simple tea mug, with the German flag and "I love Germany" written in a nice, elegant scrawl.

My Switzerland gift was strange. I had no idea what it was. When I'd asked, Edward laughed boisterously, getting a glare from some passing teachers. He had said it was a cow bell. Said that if I tied it around my neck he'd always know where to find it. He's earned a punch for that one.

My last and final gift was from Sweden. It was a pretty red horse figurine with weird markings on the back and stuff. I narrowed my eyes at him

"_How much did you spend all together?" I asked. He looked sheepish and embarrassed. "Edward Cullen, you answer me right now." He shrugged, his face red. There was only one thing that could save him. Damn that bell._

_He raced away, calling over his shoulder, "See you at lunch, Bella!"_

And now it was after school, and I was so happy that I was practically bursting. And it wasn't even about Edward being home. It was what he'd asked me at the end of lunch. Well, Alice, I mean…

_I took the last bite of my PB&J , crumpling the plastic bag it'd been in. Alice, my second best friend, was giggling with Rosalie, my third best friend. Emmett, my baffoon of a brother, was watching Rosalie wistfully. Major crush there, that was for sure. And Rosalie totally knew it. Jasper, Rosalie's sister and Emmett's best friend, was trying to talk to him, but wasn't succeeding._

_But Edward was the one that was worrying me. He wouldn't talk, wouldn't look at me. He kept looking at his hands. Alice, who was also Edward's sister, just giggled every time I'd try to ask what his problem was. Had my reactions been _that _bad? Was he mad at me? Rosalie looked at me sympathetically. I guessed she didn't know what was going on either. Figures the only two people who know won't tell me. The blonde turned back to Alice._

"_Jesus Christ, Edward! What's your problem!?" I finally exploded. His head whipped up. Emmett and Jasper looked surprised to see that kind of talk could come out of me. But seriously! Edward, my best friend, wouldn't talk to me after coming back from Europe for three whole months. Didn't I have the right to be angry?_

_Well, I think I did. And so did my eyes, for tears sprung to them. Alice bit her lip. She probably knew this was going to happen. She had uncanny predictions about everything. Rosalie stayed silent, her face betraying nothing. Maybe she did know something I didn't._

_Edward looked back down at his hands. The table was silent. "Can I talk to you, Bella?" he mumbled, not looking at me. He stared at his fingers which were fiddling with his sweatshirt sleeves._

"_Yes, Edward. That's what I want you to do," I answered, annoyed._

"_I meant alone," he whispered. He still didn't look at me. Well that did it._

"_No Edward. Tell me here, tell me _now_," I demanded. I heard him gulp. Alice looked uneasy, while Rosalie glanced away. So she did know. I scowled. Emmett and Jasper waited expectantly._

"_Bella, please," he whispered. He hadn't touched his lunch. But I wouldn't budge. How could he do this to me? His best friend? Everyone knew except me. That gave me a lump in my throat._

"_No Edward. You can't do this to me," I said stubbornly. He finally looked into my eyes and his look was pained. His golden eyes filled to the brim with pain. My barrier wavered. "Just tell me!"_

"_Go out with him!" Alice burst. I looked at her curiously. What had she just said? "Just tell her!"_

"_Isabella," he said softly. His gaze burned into mine and I couldn't look away. "Bella. Will you-will you-I can't, Alice. You do it for me." She rolled her eyes and muttered something like 'Coward', but I couldn't be sure._

_She turned back to me, her own dark gold eyes glimmering happily. "He wants you to go out with him. He's been dying to ask you out since fourth grade," she said matter-of-factly. My mouth dropped open slightly. Edward? My Edward? The perfect kid that everybody wanted? And he wanted _me_? Edward looked anxiously at me. I bit my lip._

"_She said yes," Rosalie said. I suddenly realized me and Edward were not the only two there. She knew me. She knew I liked him too. His face broke out into a grin. Mine did too. And then the bell had rang, and I gathered my lunchbox and skipped out of the room._

I hadn't stopped skipping all day. I was going on a date with Edward. And he liked me too. I swear, I'll be flying high for a decade. I giggled to myself, reaching my front yard and skipping up the front stairs to the front door. I pulled the key from under the eave out and unlocked my door. I slipped inside, setting my books down in the living room. I was forced to stop skipping because of the limited space in my house. I brought my presents upstairs, safely tucked away in my backpack, and began setting them up around the picture of me and Edward down in La Push at the beach. Near the tide pools, with a small driftwood fire in front of us. My three favorite things about living in Forks. Driftwood fires, the tide pools, and my favorite of them all, Edward Cullen.

**What does everyone think? I can delete it if it's bad...This is just the prologue, remember. Please review and tell me if I should continue.**

**_Spa-Dazzled_**


	2. Freshman Year Prologue 2

This was going to be better than middle school! _High school_, I reveled. _Just imagine the fun it's going to be. I'll actually be able to __kiss__ Edward!_ I sighed at the thought. Edward looked at me out of the corner of his eye. Rose and Jasper, who were some of my best friends and neighbors, and Emmett(,) were behind us, and Alice skipped along beside me. I imagined what it would feel like to have Edward's soft, beautiful lips on mine, and it caused my face to heat up with a mix of pleasure and embarrassment at the thought. I shivered, and Edward's arm tightened around my waist.

The school was just around the corner, and my heart thumped in my chest in excitement. It would be the time of our lives. I bit my lip, and Alice took my hand, squeezing it gently. "Bella, high school isn't as great as you think it is. I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen. I'm not sure what, I can't see that far, but please, think about what's important to you." _Edward. You, Alice. Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, despite it all. Charlie, Renee, Angela. Carlisle and Esme. Raskell, Apple, everything. There are tons of things that are important to me. But the most, even more so than my own soul, is Edward._

I almost heard Edward roll his eyes as he tugged me closer, pushing me in front of him so I was out of Alice's reach. I looked back at her, her face an angry red, ready to spew her feelings toward him, but Jasper's calming, reassuring presence restrained her from doing so in just the action of putting his milky hand on her shoulder. Her face went back to its creamy pallor, and she trained her golden eyes on his, a dreamy expression flashing in them.

Then it was gone, and Alice was skipping ahead to make sure she was the first one there. Jasper laughed, attempting to chase after her, but Rose pushed him aside, giggling as she leaped her way to Alice's side. Each of them was so graceful that my heart thumped with chagrin. Why couldn't I be like that, able to look graceful just by taking a small step. Both Cullen's and both Hale's had a graceful air to them, whilst I was left with the leftover clumsiness that none of them seemed to possess.

"I'll race you," Edward whispered in my ear. He didn't even realize how my heart thumped and I had to urge to push him in the closet, forget about the day, and kiss him senseless. He didn't realize how his every word dripped with seduction. He didn't mean to - he wasn't trying, I knew that. But just his voice was seductive, and had me holding back my suppressed sexual side. I giggled, clapping a hand over my mouth to stop it from getting out of…hand…when Edward ripped it away, his honey eyes sparkling with something I didn't recognize.

"What are you doing?" he said indignantly, with a hint of teasing in it. I licked my dry lips just by looking at his flawless face, and my cheeks burned with the embarrassment of it all. "I want to hear your laugh. Don't suppress it!" Again with the suppression! I grumbled and he laughed as he dragged me along. Emmett's loud, obnoxious laugh followed behind, and soon it was in front of us. Edward may be the quickest runner I had ever known, but trying to get me to run without tripping wasn't enough to save him. Emmett and Jasper quickly overtook him and him and me were the last to see the school grounds.

Edward sighed in defeat as we greeted the grinning faces of our winning friends. The school was big, with students milling around outside. My eyes narrowed reflexively, instinctively at the sight of such a huge place, and I cringed into Edward's side. He laughed again, oh how I loved his laugh, and towed me along to the entrance of Seattle High School.

x// Break x//

One more class to go before this day is over. It was all right, not at all as bad as Alice made it out to be. Rosalie told her so at lunch but all she said was, "We shall see." Who says that? I grumbled, turning to corner to head down the stairs. Little did I know my shoe was untied, and add that to my klutziness, I ended up sprawled at the bottom of the flight of stairs, thanking God I hadn't broken my neck. Unfortunately, a dirty blonde stood above me, smirking down at me. She got on her knees to pick up my things as I tied my shoes to keep myself from the sequel. There was no way I would be able to survive it again with my luck.

I stood, as did she, and she handed me my books. "Thanks," I muttered, shuffling away before I could make an even bigger fool of myself. I could feel the red hot heat in my cheeks, feel it burn it's way through my neck and forehead, making me red as Santa Klaus's suit.

"Wait!" she called, jogging down the stairs with the grace that I didn't possess. Why did everybody have that except me? She easily kept stride with me, slinging her arm over my shoulder as if we were good friends. "Hey, my name's Jenna, Jenna Harlington. What's yours?"

"Bella Swan," I said quietly, keeping my eyes on my feet, hoping that my dark brown hair hid every sliver of my flushed skin. She laughed. She could obviously see it. My sneakers squeaked softly on the shining linoleum as we passed through the crowded halls unnoticed. Or so I thought. Quite a few guys peeked at Jenna out of the corners of their eyes with curiosity. Most likely for me. What was a beautiful girl other than Rosalie, who had aroused boys since age eleven, doing with a plain Jane like me?

"Well, Bella, you're a bit of a klutz. I'd say we have that in common, but that'd be a lie," she said, laughing again. It didn't seem to bother her that people were now definitely staring at the two of us. "So, which middle school are you from?"

"Forks," I replied. The bell rang again, signaling the final bell, and I reached my last class, History. Jenna followed me in, and led me to a desk.

"Cool. I'm a Sophomore from Portland. Nice to meet you, Swan," she said as if we were good friends again. "Here's my number. Give me a call whenever and I'll see you later!" She took out a hot pink business-like card, set it on my desk and pranced away. On it was her cell number, her home phone, and her email address. I stuffed it in my pocket, sure it was a joke, until I heard the whispers.

"Oh my God, did you see that?" someone whispered. "Jenna Harlington gave that girl her number!" A quiet squeal. "Wow, that girl must be special. Jenna never gives out her number unless she likes what she sees. I wonder what that one must have?" I blushed deeply, trying to ignore the whispers about me. A Sophomore? A _popular_ Sophomore? I sunk deeper into my chair.

I couldn't wait to tell Edward!

x// Break x//

I squealed seeing my Adonis waiting for me in front of school. I heard quite a few mumbles of surprise, but all I saw was Edward. Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper were behind him, talking amongst themselves quietly. I jumped into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist as I hugged him. He was still so much larger, and he laughed as he wrapped his arms around my waist, burying his face in my neck.

"Hello there," he whispered in my ear. I sighed in contentment. He set me down gently, looking into my eyes. I stared into his tawny eyes. I smiled wider, tilting my head. He kissed my cheek before I felt a hand on my arm.

"Bella!" It was Jenna. "Who's this?" I swallowed, losing my voice in front of the many people that were now listening. There was something hidden in her voice that I couldn't define. I ignored it. What I couldn't ignore were the stares boring into my face, my back, my everything. Jenna's friends stood behind her, cocking their heads curiously.

"T-this, this is Edward. M-my-m-my b-b-boyfriend," I stuttered. I felt her hand tighten on my arms, her creamy tan skin turning whiter with the strength of her grip. I bit my lip to keep myself from voicing the pain it was causing me. Suddenly, her hand was gone and her arm was around my shoulder again.

"Edward. I'm Jenna. Who're these people?" she greeted, waving her free hand toward Rose, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper, who was watching us with intensity. Rose and Alice got up to stand, Jasper and Emmett, groaning as they were forced up. Alice skipped forward, just like her pixie self. Jenna stuck her chin out, but held out her hand as Alice did the same.

"I'm Alice Cullen. I'm Edward's brother. The big one is Bella's brother, Emmett, and the blonde female beside him is Rosalie Hale. The blonde male is her twin, Jasper. It's nice to meet you, Jenna. I saw you coming." I groaned internally. Alice never should have said that. Jenna's eyes had wandered around my group of friends, her eyes lingering on Rosalie and Emmett. Rose had smiled and Emmett and tightened his arm around her waist. But the moment Alice had said she'd seen Jenna coming, her muddy green eyes had flashed back to the little girl's face, narrowing slightly with suspicion.

"What do you mean you saw her coming?" someone behind her asked. A redhead dashed forward to stand beside Jenna, her waves bouncing as she did so. I looked behind me, realizing that every single one of them was beautiful. I would never fit in, even if Jenna saw something in me.

Alice smiled, her white teeth sparkling. "It's really hard to explain. Sometimes I just…guess things. I sense something is going to happen. It's nothing," she said, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly, as if sensing the future was no big deal. "Usually it comes true, but it's very…picky. I can't depend on it. And it changes all the time." I saw Edward smack his hand to his forehead in embarrassment out of the corner of my eye. Jenna's eyebrows raised and she smiled grudgingly.

"That's-that's interesting," she said. "Umm, well Bella, I see you're busy with your friends. I guess I should go. Give me a call later!" She kissed my cheek and I watched the redhead's eyes narrow. She tried to link arms with Jenna, as if she did it all the time, but Jenna shrugged out of her arm as she walked away. I watched as the group left, and I saw the glare that the redhead sent my way.

I held my arms out for Edward, who quickly enveloped me in a hug. "I guess I don't really need to tell you about my day. The only exciting thing that happened as I met Jenna, a popular Sophomore who gave me her home number, her cell number, and her email address." He kissed my forehead, a smile playing on his lips.

"That's OK," he whispered into my forehead, his hot breath blowing across my pale skin, sending a tingling feeling across my face, neck, and shoulders. He laughed, letting me go, but keeping an arm around my shoulder. "You know, I think I'm gonna like high school," he said as a herd of girls passed by giggling. "Lot of cute girls." He looked at me, grinning as my anger flared. "I think I just saw the prettiest one."

I pushed his arm away, stomping off. I heard him, my brother, and Jasper laughing uproariously behind me, but I ignored them, my hands clenched into tight little balls. Suddenly I felt his hand on my arm but I slapped it away. "Oh come on, Bella," he teased. "You have to admit, there are tons of pretty girls traipsing around out here." He gestured to another cluster of girls, who were pointing at Emmett admiringly. "But one stands out." I turned on him glaring.

"You know, you have a girlfriend," I growled, shooting daggers at him. He grinned his perfect crooked smile, and I was stunned for a second. "You should think about what you say." He rolled his eyes, taking my shoulders in his hands.

"Bella, you're the one that stands out," he whispered. "You're the prettiest one of them all." Annoyance kicked in. He could've told me that _before_ I had glared at him. Why did he have to be so cryptic? "I don't know what a pretty girl like you is doing with an ass like me." This time _I_ rolled my eyes.

I looked into his perfect eyes and I said the total truth. "Edward, is it so hard to believe that you are the nicest, sweetest, most caring, beautiful, _perfect_ person on the planet? That without you, I am nothing at all?" He nodded, his eyebrows raised as if he was daring me to challenge him. Well, I did. "If anybody doesn't deserve the other, it's me not deserving you. You are the kindest, most beautiful soul around, so pure, that I don't know if I'll be able to live up to Carlisle and Esme's expectations for you. You deserve much better than a plain Jane-girl nobody like me."

"Now who's being silly?" he grunted, turning away like a child. I sighed in annoyance. If he was going to be like that, whatever. That was his decision. I continued walking away. I had homework, and then I wanted to call Jenna to see if she was actually serious. Alice jogged up beside me, Rosalie trailing behind her. We began walking home, much to Jasper's, Edward's and Emmett's dismay.

Alice linked her arm with mine on my left side, and Rosalie did the same on my other side. "Hey Bella, I'm mad at Jasper for laughing at you, so I want to come to your house. Can I?" Rose asked, smiling brightly. Her blue eyes glimmered in the grayness of Forks, Washington.

"Yeah, me too. Edward's being a jackass. I don't want to hang out with him," she said, grimacing. I nodded, laughing. I was glad I had these two to back me up when Edward, Emmett, and Jasper aggravated me.

"Of course you can! Charlie and Natasha _told _you you're always welcome!" I laughed. I heard pounding footsteps behind me, and I was about to turn around to tell him to go away but Alice beat me to the punch.

"Jasper, Edward! GO away. We don't want you here. We're mad at you. The next time you want to hang out, maybe you should think about how you're laughs are going to be perceived. So disappear and we'll think about forgiving you while we're at Bella's house. And Emmett, you better stay two yards behind us or I'll kick your butt." I could see my monster brother raising his eyes. "_With stilettos on._" Jasper - I was almost positive - gulped at that prospect. Alice turned back around and sped up, moving her tiny self faster than both Rose and I could achieve. Alice amazed me in so many ways.

"Goodbye **boys**!" Rose called behind her, holding in her laughter. I practically choked myself, holding it in, and Alice was no better. There were no footsteps behind us. They were shocked and silent and immobile. We turned a corner and burst out laughing.

"I never thought I'd see the day that Bella Swan rejected Edward Cullen," Rosalie chuckled. I hit her arm playfully, since we had dropped our linked arms in out fit of laughter. "I never thought I'd see the day that I, Rosalie Hale, turned down Emmett Swan, either." That sent her into another spasm of giggles, which sent Alice and I tumbling down beside her.

"We have to get home. Natasha and Charlie are probably wondering where Emmett and me are," I said, placing a hand over my mouth.

Natasha was my father, Charlie's, new wife. My mother lived down the street from us, with her fiancé, Phil, but Charlie had begged my mother to let him keep me, so I visited my mother when I couldn't stand to be around my new, blonde, step-mom and her blonde brat-of-a-child daughter, Ryan. Ryan was a Sophomore, and, like Cinderella, hated my guts with a passion. She absolutely loved Emmett, probably because Jasper and Edward were the "hottest guys known to man". She was constantly trying to steal Edward and Jasper away from Alice and I.

She was beautiful, Ryan was. She had wavy blonde hair that reached slightly past her shoulders and bounced when she jumped or ran. Her eyes were stunning blue, much to my dismay. It was obvious why she thought Edward deserved better than me. She was beautiful while I was not. I had boring brown hair and boring brown eyes that sometimes looked like a sick green in the sunlight. She was the definition of beautiful, blonde, cheerleader, Barbie, beach doll. I was the epitome of boring and plain. It was a wonder why Edward had been with me for two years.

Natasha, my evil step mom, was honey blonde and drop dead gorgeous as well. It was a wonder my father had landed such a beautiful women as her. Scratch that. Forget I said anything. Charlie was great. I loved my dad.

Natasha had come into mine and Emmett's life a year ago, when I was in eighth grade. Charlie hadn't told us about her and Ryan until the wedding was due in a month. We had been furious. How could he keep something like that from us? He explained that he hadn't wanted to upset us, didn't want to drag us into his personal life. Thought it might have made us unhappy. We had forgiven him, though we were still grudging that he'd kept it from us. So, my swimsuit model "mom" had moved in with her evil daughter and it was supposed to end in a "happily ever after", like all fairytales do.

WRONG.

Emmett and I had thought Natasha was great when we met her. Nice, funny, loving. The perfect person for my nice, funny, loving dad. But then she moved in, with Ryan, and my dad was blown away by her wonderful cleaning and cooking skills. He didn't need me anymore. And then he was swept off to work from morning 'til night, and Natasha showed her true colors. He wouldn't be there in the morning, when I woke up, so I was left to the wrath of Medusa herself, and he wasn't there when I went to bed, once again, (I was) forced to deal with her again. I used to go to school crying because of the way she treated us. Emmett was too manly to mind, or so I thought. Until I caught him throwing things around in his room, crying himself. That was the day we had finally realized something.

We were alone.

I heard a car turn around the corner, and all three of us turned to see who it was, though I had a pretty good clue. And I was correct.

Ryan came around the corner in white BMW; in the passenger seat, her Senior fellow cheerleader driving. Just perfect. Though Ryan and her friends didn't hold a candle to Rose or Alice, I didn't hold a candle to them, and just being around them made me feel worthless, which was their goal. Ryan laughed, throwing a wadded up piece of paper at me. Rose caught it with her French manicured hand, glaring daggers at my bitch step-sister and Anna Sutherland, head cheerleader of Forks, Seattle, Port Angeles - and any other surrounding city/town in the area - high school.

Anna and Ryan flipped us off, still laughing, and were gone around the other corner. Toward home. I groaned, knowing I had to deal with them once I walked in the door. "Are you sure you don't want to bail out, you guys?" I said, praying that they would come, even if it was just to back me up.

"Positive. Here's your letter," Rose said, handing me the ball of lined paper. From my diary. I growled, gritting my teeth, digging my nails into my palms. I snatched the offensive piece of paper out of her hand, and smoothed it out.

[SARAH] **BELLA**; PLAIN AND [TALL] _**SMALL**_

Sarah and tall were crossed out purposefully and written in bolder letter, with Bella and small. I heard Alice snap her teeth together at the word 'small.' It was the worst insult imaginable to her, being the itsy bitsy girl she was.

By this time, we had reached the door to my house. I gulped, kind of wishing that Emmett was here to help me out. Sure, I had Rose and Alice, the best girls for the job, but Emmett scared both girls out of their minds. He was always the best for the job, no matter what.

"Hello!" I called, kicking my shoes off and motioning for Alice and Rose to do the same. I heard high heals clicking on the hard wood floor. Then Natasha was around the corner glaring me down, until she realized that people were with me.

"Alice, Rosalie! What a surprise!" she greeted brightly. Her high-pitched voice squeaked out through the hallway as she rushed forward to give them a hug. I waited impatiently for Natasha to go away. All I really wanted to do was go upstairs and take out my guitar and work on my music. But before I could do that, I had to finish my homework, and before I could do _that_, I had to be "dismissed" by Natasha.

"How are you girls?" she asked. I groaned internally. She was doing this on purpose, I was sure.

"We're fine, Ms. Donald," Alice said politely, tucking her hands into her Marc Jacobs coat pockets. Rosalie smiled and nodded, and I would bet all the money in my college account that she wanted to shove Natasha and make a run for it.

Natasha's perfect teeth flashed as she smiled. I felt my stomach churn in disgust. "That's wonderful, dear. I'll send some cookies up, OK?" Rose and Alice nodded eagerly. If Natasha was good for anything, it was baking cookies. Even I could admit that; (,) not that I got many of them. But she adored Rose and Alice - they were the daughters she wished she'd acquired.

I bounded up the stairs, my two friends close behind. No sooner had we entered through my bedroom door that Anna and Ryan burst through. I groaned loudly now, and I could feel the heat radiating out of Alice's body in anger.

"Hey, chickitas," Anna said, flopping down on my bed, smiling tauntingly. I growled, my eyes narrowing. This was so _unfair_! Ryan perched at the end of it, right beside Anna's head. "Where're your '_boyfriends_'?" Rose rolled her eyes.

Rose smirked, answering, "Not here, thankfully. What do you want?" She had no problem being rude - she could. She had the looks for it. I'm sure Alice could pull it off too. But not me. Definitely not me. I wasn't pretty enough and I knew it. I would be a social outcast if I was ever rude and bitchy to Anna Sutherland, head of the cheerleading squad.

Ryan placed a hand over her heart. "I'm shocked, Rosalie. All I wanted was to know how your guys' first day went at the high school. Is that so wrong of me?" she said, feigning innocence. I rolled my eyes. Something was up - I knew it.

Alice grinned, nudging my back, motioning for me to speak. I wracked my brain for an inkling of what could possibly be good to tell Ryan. My mind came up blank. She sighed in impatience, eying my pocket meaningfully. I checked the pocket; my hand ran over a stiff piece of paper. Jenna's phone card.

Intuition washed over me like rain, and I grinned back. "Nothing really," I said nonchalantly, though I was laughing on the inside. "I was walking to History, my last class, when Jenna Harlington struck up a conversation with me. Do you know who that is?" Ryan's eyes had bugged out at the mention of Jenna. She was obviously quite a Sophomore.

"Jenna? Jenna Harlington? And _you_?" she choked out, shocked. Anna narrowed her eyes in suspicion. I nodded.

"Yeah, that's the one. She gave me her number and everything. I made quite the impression, I'd say," I said, digging the hot pink card out of my pocket, handing it off to my evil step-sister. "She told me to call her. What's so special about Jenna?" I cocked my head innocently, feigning ignorance. I knew exactly what was so special about Jenna.

Anna cleared her throat, trying to redirect the attention back to her. "Jenna's captain of the Junior Varsity soccer team. Nothing important; she's popular, I guess," she said, shrugging as if it meant nothing. But something was burning behind her eyes. Anger? Jealousy, maybe? Maybe Jenna had rejected Anna's offer into her "in crowd".

Rose butted her thumb toward the door. "Out, we don't want you here," she said bluntly, going over to Ryan and pushing her towards the hallway. "We're busy. We don't need fleas in our hair too." Once Anna and Ryan were out in the hall, indignant, Rosalie flopped onto the bed with her backpack.

"I can't believe they gave us homework on the first day of school!" Alice complained, while my beautiful blonde friend silently took her homework out and began working on it. "Ugh," she groaned, taking her homework out as well. I dumped my stuff on the floor and took out my algebra homework. I began working on the stupid equations, grumbling lowly. Stupid review, stupid math, stupid everything.

After an hour, I was finally finished with the horrible equations and other various homework assignments. Math was the worst. But soon enough, all homework was done, and Alice and Rosalie were on my bed throwing popcorn at each other while I was carefully taking my guitar out of it's case. I sat in my computer chair at my desk, strumming thoughtfully at the strings.

Inspiration hit me like a wrecking ball. I began playing a tune, and was just about to start singing…

"Bella, someone's here to see you!" Natasha yelled through the door. I groaned. The inspiration would be gone when I got back. I got up, gently placing my black guitar on my seat and walking out the door. I leaped down the stairs, and there in the hallway was Edward. I knew I was supposed to be mad at him for one, interrupting me, and two, for what happened at school, but I giggled and ran straight into his arms.

Edward put me down after a couple seconds, laughing. "I thought I would get the cold shoulder!" he said. He trapped my face with his hands, his scorching dark gold eyes staring into mine. This was it. Our first kiss! It had to be, because he was leaning down, his eyes closing. I closed my eyes as well, waiting for his soft lips to press into mine. I could feel his breath, so intoxicating. I was ready for this.

"Edward! Nice to see you again!" Ryan said. I looked up, aggravated. Of course Ryan would ruin my perfect moment. She was at the bottom of the stairs, smiling at us. Something was burning under that smile. I hated that evil, beautiful smile. She began walking toward us, a graceful swing of her hips. Edward let go of me in embarrassment, his cheeks a sexy pink.

"Ryan, I didn't realize you were here," he mumbled, looking at his toes. I ground my teeth together, biting my tongue from lashing out at me step-sister. Everybody else had nice sisters. Edward, Jasper, Angela. Why was I stuck with the generic, Cinderella step-sister? Things like that weren't supposed to happen! That stuff was supposed to be made up for fairytales. That wasn't the way of the world.

But no. Ryan was really there, and she was really my evil step-sister, and behind her stood Anna, and they were both talking to Edward, my boyfriend. So I stood there, feeling incredibly stupid and out of place, as my beautiful step-sister and her beautiful senior best friend and my amazingly gorgeous boyfriend chatted and laughed.

I sighed. "Uh, Edward? I'll catch you later. Alice and Rose are upstairs," I said glumly. I made my way up the stairs, my feet dragging. I wasn't expecting the hand on my shoulder. I was spun around, face to face with Edward Cullen.

"I want to finish what we started," he whispered. And then his lips were pressed to mine in an amazing way. I always knew our first kiss would be together. And here it was, the best moment of my life, his hand on my waist and the other on my neck, holding my head to his. He broke away, dropping the hand on my neck, his eyes sparkled excitedly, but he didn't remove his other hand. He stared into my eyes with an intensity I hadn't thought him capable of.

And then he was gone, and I was standing alone in the hallway. I heard him say goodbye to Ryan and Anna, the door close, and his footsteps as he walked out and down the street. I was frozen. My left hand flew up to my lips. Had that really happened? I felt like melting.

My first kiss. With Edward. I sighed wistfully, and made my way back to my room.


	3. Author's Note

**Hey everyone! This is NOT a new chapter. This is just a little note explaining the name change, yet again.**

**I am in the process of making a website for my fanfiction account. And the name is permanent, as is the site. And I don't want a name expressing my like for a fandom, just in case I get over the fandom during my fanfiction career. So the current name that I have now, _A Strange and Beautiful Rose,_ will be permanent for my fanfiction career.**

**I really appreciate your tolerance for my spontaneousity (I dunno if that's a word, but oh well). I'm sorry if the name complicates something for you, but...I don't want to be stuck with a name that I might not like in a couple months (though that probably wouldn't happen - I am still completely obsessed with Twilight).**

**So if you're going to search me, search the current name, and I will update you further in chapter notes of the process of my website. I'll tell you all when it's up.**

**To all my Greek and Warriors fans, I am REALLY sorry, but I've lost inspiration. I am so pissed at myself, really. I'm going to try to write them later, hopefully when Greek is back on and I can watch it. And for Warriors, when I am able to read the fifth book in POT. If you have ideas, please, feel free to contact me at my email account or over PM. My email: p3girl612(at)aol(dot)com. I am SO sorry, again. Really. It kills me when I lose the inspiration for stories. If anyone would like to continue them, instead of waiting, tell me first, and I will gladly let everyone else know.**

**I love you guys, your reviews make my day, absolutely and totally. You guys are great, and I'm thankful that I have you. 8D Thanks a bunch, really.**

**xX..// Love, _A Strange and Beautiful Rose _xX..//**


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